Last night President Ramaphosa announced that the whole country will move down, or is it up, to Level 3 on 1 June 2020, one of the announced changes being that Restaurants may still not open for sit-down meals, but they may offer not only a Delivery Service, but a Food Collection Service from 1 June onwards too. The Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) had lobbied Government for this concession, and has expressed its gratitude for it being granted on behalf of the restaurant industry. Continue reading →
Since the world went into Lockdown, restaurants that were allowed to offer Take-Away food delivery to customer homes have increasingly used Third Party Delivery companies. Uber Eats probably is the world’s largest Food Delivery Company, having added this service a few years ago to its standard driver service. In our country it competes alongside MrD, a company belonging to TakeaLot, masters in e-commerce home delivery. Yet, during Lockdown the tide is turning, one reading an increasing number of warnings against third party delivery services, restaurant patrons being encouraged to order food from restaurants which use their own staff to deliver, locally and internationally. What has caused this negative sentiment! 
A number of restaurants feel that the Government should allow its clients to collect their food orders from outside the restaurant, in the car park or on a drive-by basis, for example, deeming the risk of a Corona Virus infection to be far reduced in this manner. It also cuts out the costs of the delivery service, borne by the client ultimately, companies like Uber Eats and Mr D taking up to 30% in fees. They are supported in this call by Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA). 
Restaurant industry on its knees’ dramatically writes the Financial Mail in a story headline this morning, presenting a picture of doom and gloom about our South African restaurant industry, one which has seen tough times since winter a year ago, a poorer 2019 summer and festive season compared to the years before, not being allowed to open their restaurants for Take-Away food production or delivery, and likely to be one of the last industries to be allowed to reopen in what President Ramaphosa called a ‘phased-in’ approach to opening up businesses within the Lockdown, about which he will reveal more in his sixth speech to the nation tonight.